Several US-China Business Council (USCBC) member companies are looking closer at planning visas both to the United States and China to avoid disruptions to their regular business operations. Changes to US visa policies and processing times have impacted company planning, and companies should make sure to plan all business travel far in advance.

On May 13, the State Council Customs Tariff Commission announced that China would institute a process that would allow some products to be excluded from the additional tariffs implemented in response to the US Section 301 measures. While the exclusion process presents a potential opportunity for tariff relief for hard-hit US companies, such measures to mitigate the consequences of tariffs on China’s domestic economy may signal that China is making preparations in case it needs to justify policy modifications to a domestic audience in a protracted trade conflict.

On Monday, the US Department of Commerce offered Huawei a temporary reprieve from the company’s placement on the Entities List by granting a temporary general license for US companies to continue certain transactions with Huawei until August 19.

The State Council recently released its 2019 legislative work plan, a framework prepared each year in conjunction with an annual legislative plan from the National People’s Congress (NPC). The NPC legislative plan is usually much shorter, and includes a general timeline to review proposed legislation. While the two plans provide insight on the government’s policy priorities and can help companies prepare for regulations that affect their businesses, they are neither a guarantee nor an exhaustive list of the policies to be reviewed.

In anticipation of further openings, global asset managers, who still represent a small share of China’s market, have begun engaging with local regulators and searching for potential partners.

President Xi recently pledged improvements to market access, IP protection, competitive markets, and monetary policy among other issues. Still, insufficient transparency surrounding opportunities for foreign companies to participate in projects continues to cloud companies’ strategic planning around BRI.

China recently made a series of regulatory changes that took immediate effect and address US technology transfer concerns, including revisions to the Technology Import and Export Regulations and equity JV implementing regulations.

Little progress has been made in the last month to improve processing times in Shanghai for US business visa applications. According to updated data provided by the US State Department, wait times in Shanghai have extended to two and a half months, though shorter times continue to be reported for other locations in China.